Reciprocating sealer for web converters

ABSTRACT

Various device embodiments include first and second plate assemblies. Each plate assembly includes a base, a seal plate and a servo motor to provide a linear motion of the seal plate with respect to the base. The device farther includes at least one plate assembly motor operably linked to the bases of the plate assemblies to provide a linear motion of the first and second plate assemblies toward each other to perform a sealing operation and away from each other. The device further includes a controller connected to the at least one plate assembly motor and to the first and second servo motors to coordinate the motion of the first and second seal plates to perform a seal operation on a web while traveling with the web.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of priority, under 35 U.S.C.Section 119(e), to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/750,006, filed on Dec. 13, 2005, which is incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to sealers or packagers and, moreparticularly, to devices for sealing product processed by web convertingequipment.

BACKGROUND

Traditional sealers for web converting equipment use a heated patternroller. The ability of the roller to control the pressure and heat sealdwell time of the sealing operation is limited.

SUMMARY

Various aspects relate to a device. Various device embodiments includefirst and second plate assemblies. Each plate assembly includes a base,a seal plate and a servo motor to provide a linear motion of the sealplate with respect to the base. The device further includes at least oneplate assembly motor operably linked to the bases of the plateassemblies to provide a linear motion of the first and second plateassemblies toward each other to perform a sealing operation and awayfrom each other. The device further includes a controller connected tothe at least one plate assembly motor and to the first and second servomotors to coordinate the motion of the first and second seal plates toperform a seal operation on a web while traveling with the web.

Various aspects relate to a method for performing a sealing operation ona traveling web. According to various embodiments, the web is movedalong a web path passing between a first seal plate and a second sealplate. A motion profile for the first seal plate and the second sealplate is implemented. The motion profile includes a first vectorcomponent in which the first and second seal plates are movedsubstantially parallel with the web path at a velocity substantiallyequal to a velocity of the web, and a second vector component in whichthe first and second seal plates are moved into contact with the web toperform the sealing operation while the web moves along the web path.

Various aspects relate to a system. Various system embodiments comprisemeans for matching a velocity of a first seal plate and a second sealplate in a first direction with a velocity of a traveling web passingbetween the first seal plate and the second seal plate, and means formoving the first seal plate and the second seal plate together to sealthe web while the web is traveling.

This Summary is an overview of some of the teachings of the presentapplication and not intended to be an exclusive or exhaustive treatmentof the present subject matter. Further details about the present subjectmatter are found in the detailed description and appended claims. Otheraspects will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reading andunderstanding the following detailed description and viewing thedrawings that form a part thereof, each of which are not to be taken ina limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined by theappended claims and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A-1C illustrate a reciprocating sealer for web converters,according to various embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a seal plate motion profile.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a sealer embodiment.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate a perspective view and an exploded view,respectively, of an embodiment of a sealer frame assembly.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded view of a system embodiment, includingthe sealer frame assembly of FIG. 4A, first and second plate assemblies,and a plate assembly motor.

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate a front view of a sealer embodiment in an openand close position, respectively.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate perspective views and FIG. 7C illustrates anexploded view of an embodiment of a top seal plate assembly.

FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate a perspective and exploded view, respectively, ofan embodiment of a bottom seal plate assembly.

FIGS. 9A-9B illustrate linear motion of a seal plate using linear servomotors.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram for operating the sealer, accordingto various embodiments.

FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate a method of changing seal plate toolingaccording to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A-1C illustrate a reciprocating sealer for web converters,according to various embodiments of the present subject matter. FIG. 1Aillustrates a web 100 traveling in a direction represented by arrows101. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand upon reading andcomprehending this disclosure, how to use the reciprocating sealer withvarious web and product arrangements. The illustrated web can includeproduct between a bottom web and a top web or can include a web foldedlongitudinally in the direction of web travel to provide the folded webwith a bottom folded portion, a top folded portion and producttherebetween. The system includes a first plate assembly 102A with afirst base 103A, a first seal plate 104A, and a first linear servo motorto provide a linear motion of the first seal plate with respect to thefirst base, as illustrated by arrows 105A. A second plate assembly 102Bincludes a second base 103B a second seal plate 104B, and a secondlinear servo motor to provide a linear motion of the second seal platewith respect to the second base, as illustrated by arrows 105B. At leastone plate assembly motor is operably linked to the first base 103A andthe second base 103B to provide a linear motion, as illustrated byarrows 106A and 106B, of the first and second plate assemblies towardeach other to perform a sealing operation and away from each other. Theillustrated linear motion 106A-B of the first and second plateassemblies is substantially orthogonal to the linear motion 105A of thefirst seal plate with respect to the first base and the linear motion105B of the second seal plate with respect to the second base. Acontroller is connected to the at least one plate assembly motor and tothe first and second linear servo motors to coordinate the motion of thefirst and second seal plates to perform a seal operation on a web whiletraveling with the moving web. Thus, for example, the controller is ableto control the velocity of the web and the horizontal velocity of theseal plates to match the seal plate velocities to the web velocityduring a seal operation. In some embodiments, the controller receives asignal from a sensor or sensors, indicative of the web velocity, orreceives a communication signal informing the controller of the webvelocity. FIGS. 1B-1C illustrate the results of a sealing operation. Theweb 100 illustrated in FIG. 1B represents the web at 107, and the web100 illustrated in FIG. 1C represents the web at 108. As illustrated inFIG. 1C, the sealed web 100 includes sealed margins 109 surroundingpouches 110 containing a product. The specific seal depends on thetooling used in the seal plates.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a seal plate motion profile. Theseal plates are illustrated as 104A and 104B in FIG. 1A, for example.The illustrated motion profile 211 can be implemented when the web ismoving and passing between the plate assemblies. The profile 211includes a motion profile 204A for the first or top plate assembly 104A,and a motion profile 204B for the second or bottom plate assembly 104B.In the illustrated example, as the plates move from left to right, theplates move into operational contact with the web to perform a sealingoperation, as illustrated by the heat seal dwell time, and then moveaway from the web. The plates return, moving from right to left in theillustrated example, where the motion profile begins again. Thus, theprofile illustrates a reciprocating motion. The profile may includeparameters describing a dwell time, a closing ramp, an opening ramp, anda velocity. The dwell time dictates the amount of time the seal plateswill remain engaged together to seal the web. The open and closing rampparameters dictate the acceleration with which the controller will movethe plate assembly servo motor to either open or close the seal plates.The velocity parameter dictates the maximum velocity at which thecontroller attempts to move the plate assembly servo motor when openingand closing the seal plates. The specifics of the profile, such as dwelltime, the closing ramp, the opening ramp, the velocity, may beprogrammed into the controller.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a sealer embodiment. Acontroller 312 is adapted to communicate with the sealer 313 to providemotion instructions to the motors, to provide heating instructions tothe heating elements of the seal plate assemblies and to receive variousfeedback signals. The controller also monitors the motion of the webpassing between the seal plates of the sealer to initiate and coordinatethe sealer motion. In various embodiments, signals indicative of webmotion 370 are received by the controller from either an axes integralto the controller, and providing the motion to move the web, or a sensordetecting the web motion, such as an encoder or a resolver. In theillustrated embodiment, visible components of the sealer 313 includesupport legs 314, lower tie bars 315, upper tie bars 317, and framemembers 316. The illustrated embodiment also provides a view of some ofthe components that provide the clamping motion of the seal plates.These components include a plate assembly servo motor 337, mechanicallycoupled to a pair of shafts 323 through two gearboxes 333 (one gearboxis shown in the illustrated view). Each shaft is coupled to four tiearms, with two tie arms 318 coupled to the first seal plate assembly 328and two tie arms 319 coupled to the second seal plate assembly 329. Eachseal plate assembly is also mounted to the sealer frame through aplurality of linear bearings. Each tie arm is coupled to shaft 323through an offset cam 322 and linkage such that when the shaft isrotated, the heat seal plates move apart in opposite directions.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate a perspective view and an exploded view,respectively, of an embodiment of a sealer frame assembly. Theillustrated frame assembly includes support legs 414. Lower tie bars 415connect side frames 416 toward the bottom of the frames and are furtherconnected to the support legs 414. Upper tie bars 417 connect sideframes 416 toward the top of the frames. The illustrated assemblyincludes tie arms 419 to move the second plate via mounting block 421and tie arms 418 to move the first plate assembly connected via mountingblock 420. The tie bars 419 and tie bars 418 include apertures toreceive eccentric cams 422, which are adapted to receive a drive shaft423. The eccentric cams in tie bars 418 are 180 degrees out of phasewith respect to the eccentric cams in tie bars 419 such that the firstand second plate assemblies move in a complementary fashion (e.g. eithermoving simultaneously toward or simultaneously away from each other)when the drive shaft 423 is rotated. Those of ordinary skill in the artwould understand upon reading and comprehending this disclosure thatother mechanical linkages could be used to provide the complementarymotion of the first and second seal plate assemblies. Various bearingsand other hardware are illustrated to provide for a smooth operation ofthe linkage. Linear bearings 424 and linear bearing rails 425 are alsoillustrated. In the illustrated example, the rails 425 are attached tothe frames 416, and the bearings 424 are attached to the mounting blocks420 and 421 to provide a substantially vertical, linear path of motionfor the first and second plate assemblies. The drive shaft 423 extendsthrough pillow block ball bearings 426, which are attached to the tiebars 415 of the frame assembly via mount 427. Thus, the axis of thedrive shaft is fixed, and the rotation of the eccentric cams 422 for thetie bars 418 and 419 causes the tie bars, and thus the upper and lowerplates, to move with respect to the frame assembly.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded view of a system embodiment, includingthe sealer frame assembly of FIG. 4A, first and second plate assemblies,and a plate assembly motor. Illustrated are a first seal plate assembly,or upper plate seal bed 528, and a second seal plate assembly, or lowerplate seal bed 529. Also illustrated are an upper heat sink 530 attachedto the upper plate seal bed 528 and a lower heat sink 531 attached tothe lower plate seal bed 529. The seal beds 528 and 529 are linked tothe tie bars using mounting blocks 520 and 521, respectively, alsoillustrated as 420 and 421 in FIG. 4B. Electrical boxes 532 are providedfor use in providing the control wiring to the seal beds. Reducer gearboxes 533 are connected to drive shafts 523. The gear boxes 533 areconnected to the frame using an isolation pad 534 and a mounting plate535. A floating coupling 536 links the gears boxes 533. A plate assemblyservo motor 537 is connected to the gear boxes. Thus, the servo motoraccurately rotates the drive shafts 523, which accurately moves the sealbeds 528 and 529 through the eccentric cams. The plates can be movedthrough a large number of incremental positions between a maximumdistance and minimum distance from each other. The maximum distancedepends on the dimensions of the eccentric cam and other mechanicallinkages.

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate a front view of a sealer embodiment in apartially open and a close position, respectively. The figureillustrates the tie bars 618 and 619, the drive shafts 623, and theeccentric cams 622 for tie bars 618. The eccentric cams for ties bars618 are 180 degrees out of phase such that tie bars 618 move in acomplementary fashion with respect to tie bars 619. The frame assemblyis designed with symmetry to balance the complementary forces. Thefigure also illustrates the linear bearings 624 and rails 625 used toguide the vertical motion of the seal beds to provide the verticalmotion in the motion profile illustrated in FIG. 2. In FIG. 6B, thedrive shafts 623 are shown rotated about 45 degrees, from their positionin FIG. 6A, to simultaneously raise the tie bars 619 and the second sealplate assembly 629, and lower the tie bars 618 and the first seal plateassembly 628.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate perspective views and FIG. 7C illustrates anexploded view of an embodiment of a first seal plate assembly. The sealplate assembly includes a base 738. Linear bearing rails 739 areattached to the base, along with stop blocks 740 and bumpers 741 tolimit the linear motion of a servo motor magnet 744. The linear bearingrails are included to support and guide the horizontal motion profileillustrated in FIG. 2. A linear servo motor 742 is attached to the base738. Linear bearings 743 are attached, along with the linear servo motormagnet 744, to a magnet mount 745. The linear bearings 743 allow theservo motor magnet 744 and magnet mount to glide along the bearing rails739. An isolation plate 753 is connected to the magnet mount 745. Aheated plate 755, with inserted heater rods 756, is connected to theisolation plate. A thermocouple 757 is also illustrated, the heater rods756 and the thermocouple 757 are electrically connected to thecontroller to facilitate a close looped heating system. A tooling plate761 is held in place, next to the heated plate, between a pair oftooling guides 759 and is further secured with an operator side toolingclamp bar 758 and a machine side tooling clamp bar 763. Clamping handles749, hex shaft 750, hold down clamps 752 and hold down clamp mounts 751cooperate to secure the operator tooling clamp bar 758 and machine sidetooling clamp bar 763. The operator side tooling clamp bar 758 isfurther secured with a pair of hand tightened bolts 762. The handtightened bolts 762 extend through clearance holes in the operator sidetooling clamp bar 758 and thread into the heated plate 755. In variousembodiments, spring loaded detent pins 764, installed in the machineside tooling clamp bar 763, spring loading the tooling plate 761 in thecross web direction. The hand tighten bolts 762 secure the tooling plate761, against the spring loaded detent pins 764. Further engagement ofthe tooling plate against the spring loaded detent pins 764 allow fineadjustment of the position and alignment of the tooling plate 761 withrespect to the web.

FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate a perspective and exploded view, respectively, ofan embodiment of a second seal plate assembly. The seal plate assemblyincludes a base 838. Linear bearing rails 839 are attached to the base,along with stop blocks 840 and bumpers 841 to limit the linear motion ofa servo motor magnet. A linear servo motor 842 is attached to the base838. Linear bearings 843 are attached, along with the linear servo motormagnet 844, to a magnet mount 845. The linear bearings 843 allow theservo motor magnet 844 and magnet mount to glide along the bearing rails839. Air bladder hard stops 846 are attached around a periphery of mount845, and an air bladder 847 is positioned over the mount. An airbladderbackplate 848 is attached to the hard stops 846. An isolation plate 853and seal plate spacer 854 are positioned over the airbladder backplate848. A heated plate 855, with heater rods 856, are positioned over theseal plate spacer. A thermocouple 857 is also illustrated, the heaterrods 856 and the thermocouple 857 are electrically connected to thecontroller to facilitate a close looped heating system. A tooling plate861 is held in place, next to the heated plate, between a pair oftooling guides 859 and is further secured with an operator side toolingclamp bar 858 and a machine side tooling clamp bar 863. Clamping handles849, hex shaft 850, hold down clamps 852 and hold down clamp mounts 851,cooperate to secure the tooling clamp bar 858. The tooling clamp bar isfurther secured with a pair of hand tightened bolts 862. The handtightened bolts 862 extend through clearance holes in the operator sidetooling clamp bar 858 and thread into the heated plate 855. The toolingclamps 858 can be released and hand tightened bolts 862 and toolingclamp bar removed allowing the tooling plate 861 to be slid out betweenthe tooling guides 859. In various embodiments, spring loaded detentpins 864, installed in the machine side tooling clamp bar 863, springload the tooling plate 861 in the cross web direction. The hand tightenbolts 862 secure the tooling plate 861, against the spring loaded detentpins 864 via the operator side tooling clamp bar. Further engagement ofthe tooling plate 861 against the spring loaded detent pins 864 allowfine adjustment of the position and alignment of the tooling plate 861with respect to the web.

In the illustrated embodiment, an air bladder, or bladders, are used toeven pressure across the entire plate. The illustrated embodimentprovides the air bladder only for the bottom seal bed. The air bladderis filled, and rests on hard stops until the upper plate contacts thelower plate, pushing the lower seal plate off the hard stops. The sealpressure is controlled by the pressure of the bladder.

FIGS. 9A-9B illustrate linear motion of a seal plate assembly 929 usinglinear servo motors. The illustrated embodiment in FIG. 9A shows a sealplate assembly 929 where the seal plate is at or near one end of itslinear travel range. In

FIG. 9A, the linear motor 942 and a portion of the linear motor magnet944 are visible. Also visible is a potion of the linear bearing rails939. In FIG. 9B, the illustrated embodiment of the seal plate assemblyof FIG. 9A is shown at or near the opposite end of its linear travelrange. The linear motor 942 is no longer visible.

FIGS. 9A-9B generally show embodiments of the second seal plateassembly. The motion of embodiments of the first seal plate assemblyoperate on the same principles as that of the second seal plateassembly.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram for a process of operating thesealer, according to various embodiments. The process flow is controlledby logic programmed into the controller. Those of ordinary skill in theart will understand upon reading and comprehending this disclosure howthe flow diagram corresponds to the motion profile illustrated in FIG.2. The process begins when the sealer is initialized 1001. In variousembodiments, initialization 1001 includes preheating the seal plates,setting and verifying the motion profiles for each of the servo motoraxes, setting the seal air pressure, setting the seal dwell time andenabling or disabling the operation of the sealer or a portion thereof.After initialization 1001, the machine controller will monitor whetherthe sealer is enabled 1002. In various embodiments, if the sealer is notenabled, the machine controller will stop any linear motion of thesealer and move the plate assembly servo motor (337 in FIG. 3) to aposition maximizing the distance between position of the seal platesassemblies 1012. If the sealer is enabled, the axes will need to be“homed” 1013 before the normal cyclical motion can take place. “Homing”1013 allows the machine controller to reference the position of theservo axes with a physical location. In various embodiments, thephysical reference is determined by moving each of the axes until theaxis triggers a reference switch. The machine controller monitors theposition of the axis when the reference switch is triggered. The machinecontroller, in various embodiments, references subsequent motion fromthe position of the axis when it triggered the switch.

Once homed, the motion control monitors an axis indicative of the webmotion, and initiates and coordinates the motion of the sealer withrespect to the motion of the web. The first coordination task initiatesa repeating process which controls the motion of the seal plateassemblies to accelerate and match the horizontal speed with the speedof the web 1004. The motion controller monitors the position of the sealassemblies. When the seal assemblies move past a “close” triggerposition 1005, the machine controller will initiate and control themotion of the plate assembly servo motor to move the seal plates towardeach other to clamp the web between the seal plates 1006. With the webclamped between the seal plates, the machine controller begins a sealdwell timer 1007. In various embodiments, the machine controller thenmonitors events to initiate opening the seal plates. In variousembodiments, the termination of the seal dwell timer 1009 functions asthe event to trigger opening of the seal plates. However, in variousembodiments, if the seal dwell is set too long, the seal plates willopen when the linear motors used to move the seal plates near the end ofthe linear travel, even if the seal time has not expired (i.e. seal timeset to long or web moving to fast). As the linear motors approach theend of their travel, the task initiated in step 1004 stops the linearmotors and moves them back to their initial position for the startanother seal cycle. The sealer will continue to cycle until the sealeris disabled 1011.

FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate a method of removing seal plate toolingaccording to various embodiments. FIG. 11A illustrates the operation ofthe clamping handles 1149 to release the tooling clamp bar 1158. FIG.11B illustrates the removal of the tooling clamp bar 1158. The toolingclamp bar 1158 is removed after unthreading two bolts 1162 that are usedto hold the tooling clamp bar near the heat plate. After removal of thetooling clamp bar, FIG. 11C illustrates the removal of the tooling plate1161. The tooling plate 1161 is removed by sliding the plate out of theslots in tooling guides 1159. Installation of a tooling plate isachieved by repeating the process in the reverse order. The cam actionclamps 1149 provide the ability to change upper and lower seal plates,regardless of whether the seal plates are cold or hot. The ability tochange hot seal plates reduces changeover times, as operators do nothave to wait for the tooling to cool.

The present subject matter is capable of sealing a web while the web istraveling. The present subject matter provides repeatable and consistentseal times for the seal operation. The servo driven motors providemultiple open positions. The sealer is able to accurately control theposition of the seal beds, thus controlling the seal times.

One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that, the modules andother circuitry shown and described herein can be implemented usingsoftware, hardware, and combinations of software and hardware. As such,the illustrated modules and circuitry are intended to encompass softwareimplementations, hardware implementations, and software and hardwareimplementations.

The methods illustrated in this disclosure are not intended to beexclusive of other methods within the scope of the present subjectmatter. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, upon readingand comprehending this disclosure, other methods within the scope of thepresent subject matter. The above-identified embodiments, and portionsof the illustrated embodiments, are not necessarily mutually exclusive.These embodiments, or portions thereof, can be combined.

In various embodiments, the methods provided above are implemented as acomputer data signal embodied in a carrier wave or propagated signal,that represents a sequence of instructions which, when executed by aprocessor cause the processor to perform the respective method. Invarious embodiments, methods provided above are implemented as a set ofinstructions contained on a computer-accessible medium capable ofdirecting a processor to perform the respective method. In variousembodiments, the medium is a magnetic medium, an electronic medium, oran optical medium.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the artthat any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose maybe substituted for the specific embodiment shown. This application isintended to cover adaptations or variations of the present subjectmatter. It is to be understood that the above description is intended tobe illustrative, and not restrictive. Combinations of the aboveembodiments as well as combinations of portions of the above embodimentsin other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art uponreviewing the above description. The scope of the present subject mattershould be determined with reference to the appended claims, along withthe full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

1. A device, comprising: a first plate assembly including a first base,a first seal plate, and a first servo motor to provide a linear motionof the first seal plate with respect to the first base; a second plateassembly including a second base and a second seal plate, and a secondservo motor to provide a linear motion of the second seal plate withrespect to the second base; at least one plate assembly motor operablylinked to the first base and the second base to provide a linear motionof the first and second plate assemblies toward each other to perform asealing operation and away from each other; and a controller connectedto the at least one plate assembly motor and to the first and secondservo motors to coordinate the motion of the first and second sealplates to perform a seal operation on a web while traveling with theweb.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the linear motion of the firstand second plate assemblies is substantially orthogonal to the linearmotion of the first seal plate with respect to the first base and thelinear motion of the second seal plate with respect to the second base.3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first servo motor and the secondservo motor are linear servo motors.
 4. The device of claim 1, whereinat least one of the first and second plate assemblies includes an airbladder to regulate a pressure of the seal operation.
 5. The device ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second seal platesinclude: a removable tooling plate; a tooling plate frame with a sideopening sized to receive the removable tooling plate, wherein thetooling plate is loaded through the side opening into a position withrespect to the tooling plate frame for a sealing operation; and atooling plate retention mechanism to secure the tooling plate in theposition with respect to the tooling plate frame for the sealingoperation.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the tooling plate retentionmechanism includes: a tooling clamp bar; and a first plurality ofmanually operated clamps adapted to secure the tooling clamp bar to thefirst tooling plate frame to secure the tooling plate in the positionwith respect to the tooling plate frame for the sealing operation. 7.The device of claim 6, wherein the tooling plate frame includes aplurality of spring loaded pins at an end of the tooling plate frameopposite the side opening to assist in positioning the removable toolingplate in the position with respect to the tooling plate frame for thesealing operation.
 8. The device of claim 7 wherein the tooling claimbar is in contact with the removable tooling plate, and the firsttooling clamp bar is further secured to the first tooling plate framewith a plurality of threaded bolts, the threaded bolts for use to adjustof the removable tooling plate against the plurality of spring loadedpins.
 9. The device of claim 1 wherein the first seal plate includes atooling plate and a plurality of heaters operatively connected to thecontroller and adapted to heat the tooling plate.
 10. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the controller includes a programmable temperature tocontrol a heat seal temperature, a programmable heat seal dwell time tocontrol a duration of the seal operation, and a programmable pressure tocontrol a pressure of the seal operation.
 11. The device of claim 1,further comprising: at least one tie arm connected to the first platebase and adapted to be influenced by a first eccentric cam; at least onetie arm connected to the second base and adapted to be influenced by asecond eccentric cam; and the plate assembly motor being linked to thefirst and second eccentric cams using a drive shaft to rotate the firstand second eccentric cams and provide the linear motion of the first andsecond plate assemblies toward each other to perform the sealingoperation and away from each other.
 12. A method for performing asealing operation on a traveling web, comprising: moving the web along aweb path passing between a first seal plate and a second seal plate; andimplementing a motion profile for the first seal plate and the secondseal plate, the motion profile including a first vector component inwhich the first and second seal plates are moved substantially parallelwith the web path at a velocity substantially equal to a velocity of theweb, and a second vector component in which the first and second sealplates are moved into contact with the web to perform the sealingoperation while the web moves along the web path.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the second vector component is substantiallyorthogonal to the first vector component.
 14. The method of claim 12,further comprising heating the first seal plate and the second sealplate to a desired seal temperature throughout the sealing operation.15. The method of claim 12, further comprising applying a desiredpressure between the first and second seal plates throughout the sealingoperation.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein applying a desiredpressure includes using an airbladder to distribute the desiredpressure.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising programming adesired seal time and a desired seal pressure for the sealing operation,wherein implementing a motion profile for the first seal plate and thesecond seal plate includes implementing a motion profile to move thefirst and second seal plates into contact with each other to provide thedesired seal time and desired seal pressure.
 18. The method of claim 12wherein a sealing apparatus performs the sealing operation, the methodfurther comprising: initializing the sealing apparatus; enabling thesealing apparatus; homing a plurality of servo motors of the sealingapparatus; starting the motion profile to move the first and second sealplates in a first vector according to a reciprocating pattern to matchthe velocity of the first and second seal plates to the velocity of theweb; monitoring the position of the first and second seal plates for atrigger to start the second vector component of the motion profile;starting the second vector component of the motion profile to move theseal plates from an open position to a seal position; starting a sealtimer; monitoring the seal timer for expiration; and monitoring theposition of the first and second seal plates for a trigger to move theseal plates from the seal position to the open position, the triggerincluding an expired seal timer or the first and second seal platespassing a predetermined position along the first vector.
 19. The methodof claim 12 wherein implementing a motion profile includes using linearservo motors to move the first and second seal plates substantiallyparallel with the web path at a velocity substantially equal to avelocity of the web.
 20. The method of claim 12 wherein implementing amotion profile for the first seal plate and the second seal plateincludes using a servo motor to rotate a first eccentric cam and asecond eccentric cam, the first eccentric cam and the second eccentriccam being oriented 180 degrees out of phase from each other and adaptedto move the first seal plate and the second seal plate into contact withthe web to perform the sealing operation.
 21. A system comprising: meansfor matching a velocity of a first seal plate and a second seal plate ina first direction with a velocity of a traveling web passing between thefirst seal plate and the second seal plate; and means for moving thefirst seal plate and the second seal plate together to seal the webwhile the web is traveling.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein themeans for matching includes means for controlling motion of the web. 23.The system of claim 21, wherein the means for matching includes meansfor sensing the velocity of the web.
 24. The system of claim 21, furthercomprising means for heating at least one of the first seal plate andthe second seal plate.
 25. The system of claim 21, further comprisingmeans for applying pressure to the web passing between the first sealplate and the second seal plate during a sealing operation.
 26. Thesystem of claim 21, wherein at least one of the first and second sealplates includes a removable tooling member, the system furthercomprising means for enabling the removable tooling member to behorizontally loaded and unloaded from the at least one of the first andsecond seal plates.